Raising $5.1M in a Trust

Thursday, July 30th, 2009

Everyone worked the negotiations quickly when Raymond family offered to sell Maplecroft Farm.  It’s their privately owned property consisting of 250 acres of scenic views, wetlands, farmlands, and a little mix of wildlife habitat.  After 70 years, the property still has high conservation value and the development rights to various conservation organizations are for sale.

Trust for Public Land is the national nonprofit leading this fund-raising effort in preserving the property.  It has to raise $5.1 million until February to purchase conservation easements in order to keep the farm’s permanent open space.  Pending availability and approvals, the funds would come from contributions and private donations.   Currently, there’s $3.4 million in their account and most would go to purchase Maplecroft easements.

Whitney Hatch, director of Trust for Public Land, leads the fund-raising effort.  Fortunately, a Boston developer, Neil St. John Raymond, continuously living on the property approached town and conservation organizations first.  He made it clear to them that the land needs to be preserved as an open space.  As part of agreement, however, portions of this site will be used as public trail for horseback riders, hikers, etc.  Raymond declined to comment when asked on his future plans if Trust for Public Land would not be able to meet the February deadline.

Tags: Maplecroft Farm, Neil St. John Raymond, Raymond, trust, Trust for Public Land, Whitney Hatch
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